This wont even be close, how can someone who played as varied a selection as him not be respected by every music fan around the world. No agenda to champion only one sound, just give good bands their chance to shine.

I feel like Americans might find it difficult to express any interest in John Peel. He might have effected the rise of a great number genres and bands, but his influence never extended across the other side of the pond. Let me explain.

The American music scene is very much a schismatic one. On one side, you have the pop music that manages to make the top 40 and the influence of Rolling Stone, MTV & the Grammys. On the other side, you have everything else: all the music that forum users like us represent -- music which people actively search for.

General exposure of interesting music has been close to zero. Of the artists mentioned in connection with John Peel, I would have heard of three, maybe four: Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie & the Flaming Lips. That's it. I didn't know half of those bands myself before I came here (or I didn't understand their significance, at any rate). Americans DON'T have a reliable source of exposure to music. Until last year shitheads like the Dixie Chicks & Celine Dion were still winning album of the year at the Grammys.

While I can understand what John Peel meant to the burgeoning music tastes of the British, voting for him in this context would be like voting for Scott Joplin. I know how important he is, but fuck if I've ever listened to him.

And yes, I'm incredibly jealous of all of you on the other side of the pond. I never heard of Sonic Youth until I was seventeen. =/

I'm sure the first heard of his name it was on a college radio station where his name was legend. There was this DJ who liked to play 70's Punk & Post Punk music, and John Peel was tied into that scene (no need to elaborate) and his name came up all the time, I kinda got the impression he was the DJ's hero. From time to time I look up 70's UK music on youtube and his name still comes up in comments from youtube posters. I think if you had to find another name that was tied in with as many bands as John Peel it would have to be Ahmet Ertegün. I say that as a compliment even though I don't a fraction of bands JP encountered.

i used to listen to John Peel all the time on the BBC World Service

Im new onto this site and too late to vote but JP was an absolute legend. His influence on up & coming bands was immense, his tastes incredibly wide & varied, he continually refused to buckle to the demands of his employers to play more off their playlist - sometimes at the risk of losing his job.

'Peel plays Punk' was a cult T-shirt at the time, as he was at the beginning of UK punk (when the mainstream uk press were up in arms about/against the movement) the only guy who would play Punk - I still remember the thrill of hearing 'New Rose' on the JP show. He then, in the aftermath of punk, went on to champion numerous bands who normally wouldnt get played and was instrumental in getting many bands exposure and record deals. He spent numerous hours listening to hopefuls who sent in demos in the hope he would play them.

I recall shedding a tear reading the NME of the week he died. RIP John.

John was a legend!

And still is a legend.